Guion reminds Rodgers of Jolly
For many reasons, it was an interesting comparison for Aaron Rodgers to make Thursday afternoon.
The Green Bay Packers MVP quarterback has lauded defensive tackle Letroy Guion in the past. A few weeks ago, Rodgers said Guion was quickly becoming one of his favorite teammates. On his ESPN Milwaukee radio show Thursday, the quarterback said Guion reminded him of former Packers defensive tackle Johnny Jolly.
Like Jolly, Rodgers said, Guion is a big personality in the locker room. He was well-liked by teammates, played with passion on the field.
Like Jolly, Guion also stumbled across legal troubles while with the Packers.
Rodgers said Guion reminded him of Jolly for the positives he brought Green Bay, not the negative. Still, the two sides are inseparable. Jolly had three drug arrests in three years.
Guion was arrested Tuesday night in his hometown of Starke, Fla., and charged with two felony counts after being found with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, 357 grams of marijuana and more than $190,000 in cash.
"You have to remember that you represent the Packers at all times," Rodgers said. "And we talk about it a lot, what it means to be a Packer and to do things the Packer way. It's about being a good person in the community, being a good teammate obviously, and representing the organization the right way.
"Letroy is a free agent right now, but I know that we were thinking about bringing him back. That's what the word seemed to be. So I'm not sure how that's going to change with this arrest."
Rodgers reiterated Guion is loved by his teammates. He doesn't know what Guion's future holds, but he called for teammates to rally around him with support.
"I think in times like this," Rodgers said, "you need to come around a teammate like that instead of pointing the finger or turning your back to him. I'm sure our guys are doing that. We hope this thing gets worked out for Letroy, and it's a bump in the road in his NFL journey."
-- rwood@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ByRyanWood